GOLF
Evian cut to three rounds
The final women’s golf major of the year has been reduced to a 54-hole tournament after significant rain, strong winds and wet course conditions on Thursday forced the cancelation of the first round of the Evian Championship at Evian-les-Bains, France. World No. 1 Ryu So-yeon of South Korea and Jessica Korda were leading at two-under through six and eight holes respectively when play was halted. World No. 3 Park Sung-hyun of South Korea was at six-over through five holes. All scores from Thursday are to be taken off the board, with play beginning anew yesterday at 7:45am. After today’s play, a cut will be made and the top 70 players and ties are to advance to the final round on tomorrow.
SOCCER
Montpelier to get jerseys
Vermont’s capital city is saying merci to France for a spelling error on some soccer jerseys. Montpelier City Manager Bill Fraser said that Montpellier, France, ordered jerseys for its professional soccer team and fans, but they were delivered misspelled, with just one “L” instead of two. He said the French city has decided to send them to Montpelier, Vermont, which is spelled with one “L,” not two. Fraser on Thursday said that the jerseys will go to the Montpelier High School soccer teams and possibly sold in the community to benefit the high school boosters.
TENNIS
McHale advances in Japan
American Christina McHale yesterday pummeled Belgium’s Elise Mertens 6-4, 6-1 to reach the semi-finals of the Japan Women’s Open as the last two remaining seeds in Tokyo fell by the wayside. Defending champion McHale faced surprisingly little resistance from the third seed before Zarina Diyas came from a set down to beat fellow Kazakh Yulia Putintseva 4-6, 6-1, 6-3 in the day’s second quarter-final. Eighth seed Putintseva’s exit left organizers hoping Japanese qualifier Miyu Kato could continue her dream run after a week of upsets and the early loss of local favorite Kimiko Date in her final tournament at the age of 46. Kato did not disappoint, again punching above her weight as she thumped Date’s conqueror, Aleksandra Krunic of Serbia, 6-1, 6-3. “Once I won the first set I relaxed a little more,” McHale said. “I served better in the second set and pulled it out.” In the day’s final match, Croatia’s Jana Fett defeated China’s Wang Qiang 6-3, 4-6, 6-3.
TENNIS
Safarova defeats Kenin
Top-seeded Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic on Thursday booked her quarter-final berth at the Coupe Banque Nationale in Quebec City with a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Sofia Kenin. Safarova fired 10 aces as she powered past the 18-year-old American, who is ranked 112th. Safarova is next to face 32-year-old fellow Czech Lucie Hradecka, who ousted 17-year-old Canadian Bianca Andreescu 2-6, 6-2, 7-5. Seventh-seeded Alison Van Uytvanck of Belgium also reached the quarters, fending off a late challenge to beat New Zealand’s Marina Erakovic 6-4, 7-6 (7/4). Van Uytvanck next faces US qualifier Caroline Dolehide, who advanced on Wednesday when defending champion and second seed Oceane Dodin withdrew because of dizziness. American Sachia Vickery defeated eighth-seeded Viktorija Golubic of Switzerland to advance to the quarters, where she is to face Tatjana Maria of Germany.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen go into today’s match at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim stung from their first league defeat in 16 months. Leverkusen were beaten 3-2 at home by RB Leipzig before the international break, the first loss since May last year for the reigning league and cup champions. While any defeat, particularly against a likely title rival, would have disappointed coach Xabi Alonso, the way in which it happened would be most concerning. Just as they did in the Supercup against VfB Stuttgart and in the league opener to Borussia Moenchengladbach, Leverkusen scored first, but were pegged back. However, while Leverkusen rallied late to
If all goes well when the biggest marathon field ever gathered in Australia races 42km through the streets of Sydney on Sunday, World Marathon Majors (WMM) will soon add a seventh race to the elite series. The Sydney Marathon is to become the first race since Tokyo in 2013 to join long-established majors in New York, London, Boston, Berlin and Chicago if it passes the WMM assessment criteria for the second straight year. “We’re really excited for Sunday to arrive,” race director Wayne Larden told a news conference in Sydney yesterday. “We’re prepared, we’re ready. All of our plans look good on
The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed as Karoline Kristensen entered for her performance. However, this was no ordinary Dutch theater: The temperature was 80°C and the audience naked apart from a towel. Dressed in a swimsuit and to the tune of emotional music, the 21-year-old Kristensen started her routine, performed inside a large sauna, with a bed of hot rocks in the middle. For a week this month, a group of wellness practitioners, called “sauna masters,” are gathering at a picturesque health resort in the Netherlands to compete in this year’s Aufguss world sauna championships. The practice takes its name from a
When details from a scientific experiment that could have helped clear Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva landed at the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), the leader of the organization’s reaction was unequivocal: “We have to stop that urgently,” he wrote. No mention of the test ever became public and Valieva’s defense at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) went on without it. What effect the information could have had on Valieva’s case is unclear, but without it, the skater, then 15 years old, was eventually disqualified from the 2022 Winter Olympics after testing positive for a banned heart medication that would later
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